Youriah

Im about to close in on a low mileage, 27 month lease on a 350 w/ Nav and Luxury...

What do you know now about your car (both good and bad) that you didnt know then?

What packages do you consider must haves.

I'm in Northern NJ - so any guidance on snow performance/tires would be appreciated.

I'm downgrading from a 535 GT so I know I wont have the same performance/experience, but what dont I know?

Thanks!

bc6152

There are some features on the car that annoy me and I wish they were different - read improved controls, added and/or deleted buttons, etc. But I can't say that any would have made me buy a different car. Runs great, looks great, high quality, etc. You will NEVER find a car with ALL the options and features EXACTLY like you would want them.

As far as snow tires go, you are aware, I'm sure, of the kind of winter we had here in the NE last year. One of the worst I remember with snow. I don't use snow tires and had no problems. Also remember that you're coming from a RWD to a FWD with a wholly different suspension and it will perform differently...

Arty101

I wish the voice command and nav system was better, but then most manufacturers have the same issues.

bc6152

Second that Art. Wife's '14 Accord is worse...

SLH

I'm not sure I would consider an es350 a "downgrade" from a bmw 535. I haven't personally owned a bmw since the 1980's, but my partner has one now... They have always impressed me as rather spartan -- with few features, and the features that they do have are not intuitive to use. It's like they actually expect drivers to memorize the owners manual or something.

The thing to know is, that Lexus has a different philosophy from BMW. BMW is "go fast, with reasonable comfort". Lexus is "go comfortably, with reasonable speed". It's a matter of where they put the priority. A few more pounds of weight for sound proofing is Lexus. A few more decibels, to save that weight, is BMW.

If I were you, I would seriously consider getting the "sport" suspension on your Lexus. The Lexus version of a "sport" suspension is a lot like the BMW "regular" suspension - precise handling with good road feel. After being used to a BMW, the Lexus "regular" suspension will likely feel like a boat.

Arty101

I wasn't aware that a sports suspension was available for the ES. But agree with your assessment about the different philosophy between the two manufacturers.

lesz

I could be mistaken, but I also don't think that there are any suspension options for the ES unless someone wants to go into doing an aftermarket mod.

bc6152

I'm thinking that SLH is referring to the dial-a-ride ECO - NORMAL - SPORT setting inside the car.

lesz

You could be right. As far as I know, though, changing the drive mode doesn't involve changes to the suspension. I believe that it changes shift points and changes the efficiency level of the climate control system, and it may also change steering response in the Sport mode.

SLH

No. There are actually two suspension options in the es350. The es300h comes with the parts that are part of the "sport" package in the 350. Read this thread: https://www.clublexus.com/forums/es3...uspension.html

It may be that some dealers, or some whole regions, do not go out of their way to sell that option... But, I am pretty sure the option does exist.

lesz

There is no "sport package" that I know of for the ES350. Also, much of the information presented in the thread that you linked is merely speculation or, in some cases, flat-out incorrect.

Youriah

Woah... First time poster to this forum/thread, but this aint my first goat rodeo... :-)

I did spend about an hour or so reading through threads, common issues, ideas, but nevertheless felt my post was warranted... You unsub'ed so I'm not sure you'll even read this, but check out the subsequent replies - they were insightful and helpful...

At any rate - I never felt my 535 (sports, navi, cold-weather) was spartan and since its the GT it gave me more of a 7-series feel than the ES. Having said that, I cant compare the price points on the two. Lease-wise, I stand to save about 40-45% on a near-fully-loaded ES so its at this point whatever 'sacrifices' I will make should more than even out with the savings.

Thx all for your comments - keep em coming. Look to close tomorrow on what I believe is a fairly awesome deal - $48018 MSRP, sale price at 44415, RV 69% (27/7500) and MF at 0.00001 (one-pay)... All told with tax we're looking at 394/month given the current incentives. Only 'down payment' is the dmv/doc and bank fees.

Uri

GrumpyDave

I wish I had known the back seat doesn't fold down. I even have that on my checklist of features to look for in sedans, but every other sedan I looked at had them so I kinda stopped looking for it. Three weeks after purchase I needed to haul something and discovered the little pass through hole is all you get. Had to pay for delivery on a relatively small item.

It probably wouldn't have stopped me from buying the car, though, because I like it so much in many other ways.

GrumpyDave

Don't worry about it Youriah. You asked a fair question and how else are us newbies EVER going to reach the ridiculous 30 post threshold on this site if we don't ask the same questions over and over.

Arty101

I still don't think there is a 'sport' suspension option for the ES. That said, I also wish the trunk space on the ES 300h was a bit bigger, but I knew going in it was fixed and smaller with the hybrid batteries.

Your questions are welcomed, and don't hesitate to ask. We're all learning from each other.

Art